Refrigerator door fastener



A March 30, 1943. D. KA'rz 2,315,337

REFRIGERATOR DOOR FASTENER Filed May 14, `1940 2 Sheets-s118912 1 lMIMIZia. fluff/ A lNvENToR.

.ATTORZVEYZ Patented Mar. 30, 1943 i' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEREFRIGERATOR DOOR FASTENER David Katz, Brooklyn, N. Y.

Application May 14, 1940, Serial No. 335,024

2 Claims.

` This invention relates to refrigerator doors, explosion venting doors,and the like closures, and latching means therefor.

Refrigerator and the like doors now in use, are usually provided with aspring latch having a handle which may be swung to retract the latchbolt, to permit the door to be opened. With such constructions,difficulty has been experienced because the application of a-singlelatch to the door permits the door to sag, warp or bulge. Furthermore,with such construction, some means must be provided for opening the doorfrom the inside. For this reason, doors of large meat refrigerators areprovided with a releasing handle on the inside Aof the door, so thatI,when a person enters the refrigerator and closes the door, he mustoperate the releasing handle from the inside to open the door. If theperson carries a large article, such as a carcass in his arms, it isdiicult to operate a releasing handle. It would be impractical toprovide such a door with a plurality of spaced latches, each having ahandle to retract the bolt, since in' such case, all of the handleswould have to be swung simultaneously to bolt releasing position inorder to open the door. K

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a closure memberof the character described, in which the difficulties described abovewill be obviated, the door embodying the invention being provided with aplurality of spaced latches so constructed that a tug on the doorby ahandle independent of the latches or a force behind the door will openthe door. With such construction, any suitable number of latches may beprovided, and the door made be provided with a handle of any suitabletype independent of the latches, and placed on any suitable part of thedoor, to permit the door to be pulled open. The application of latchesto spaced points on the door serve to prevent sagging, warping orbulging of the door, and produce a better closure or seal because of theplural points of application of the latches. Such a door, furthermore,can be opened from the inside without a handle. The door embodying theinvention, may serve as an explosion venting door, or for any othersuitable purpose. When the invention is embodied in a refrigerator door,a person entering the refrigerator and closing the door, can open thedoor by pushing against it While holding an article in both hands, as itis not necessary to grasp any releasing handle.

A further object of this invention is to provide a highly improved latchfor a door of the character described, which will be durable, efiicientand reliable, and which will stand up under varying conditions, andwhich may be used either on refrigerator doors or explosion ventingdoors, or the like closures, and which can be used either with a smallerdoor or 4a large door or a heavy door or a light door.

Yet a further object of this invention is to provide a highly improvedlatch of the character described, of such construction that blows causedby slamming of the door and impact of the latch bolt on the keeper willbe efciently taken up, resisted or dissipated.

Still a further object of this invention is to provide a highly improvedkeeper structure for a latch of the character described, which may berapidly set and adjusted to the latch bolt structure to accommodatevariations in oset between the door and frame planes.

A yet further object of this invention is to provide a highly improvedlatch of the character described, which will give efficient andeffective sealing and which yet permits the latch to close easily. fStill another object of this invention is tol provide a strong, ruggedand durable closure member, and latching means therefor, which shall berelatively inexpensive to manufacture, easy to install, which shall besmooth and positive in operation, yet practical and efficient to a highdegree in use.

Other objects of this invention will in part be obvious and in parthereinafter pointed out.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction,combinations of elements, and arrangement of parts which will beexemplified in the construction hereinafter described, and of which thescope of application will be indicated in the following claims.

in the accompanying drawings, in which is shown one of the variouspossible illustrative embodiments of this invention:

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of a closure member, and latchingmeans therefor, embodying theinvention:

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a front elevational View of the latching structure;

Fig. 4 is an axial, cross-sectional view of the latching structure andshowing a padlock in dotted lines to prevent opening of the door;

t Fig., 5 is a perspective view of the keeper strucure;

Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 6--5 of Fig. e; and

Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional View taken on line 1-1 of Fig. 4.

Referringnow in detail to the drawings, I designates a closure andlatching means therefor, embodying the invention. The same comprises adoor jamb II having vertical parallel side portions I2 and i3, and adoor I5 within said door jamb and hinged to the Vertical portion I2 byhinges I5. The door I is provided with a handle I1 of any suitable typeon the outside thereof, and may also optionally be provided with ahandle IB on the inside thereof.

For the purpose of illustration, the door I5 is shown to be providedwith a pair of latching or locking structures 2l), independent from thehandle I1, it being understood that any suitable number of said latchingstructures may be provided. Each latching or locking structure comprisesa latch 2| xed to the door adjacent the edge I5a thereof and adapted tocooperate with a keeper 22 iixed to the vertical portion I3 of the doorjamb I I.

Each latch 2| comprises a casing 25 attached to the door I5, in anysuitable manner, and provided with an end wall 25 adjacent the edge I5@of the door and formed with an opening 21 through which a latch bolt 28within the casing, projects. outwardly extending flanges 25ct havingscrew threaded openings to receive screws 25h for attaching the casingto the door. The casing 25 is open on the side thereof facing the door`and is formed with a transverse partition 29 parallel to the end wall25, and formed with an opening 30 aligned with the opening 21.

Fixed to the partition 29 and contacting the front face of the door I5,is a plate 32 provided with a pair of projections 33 extending away fromsaid plate. The bolt 28 has a stem 35, slidably passing through theopening 30. It is formed with a shoulder 3S mediately the ends thereof.At the forward end of the bolt 23, is a wedge shaped head dinterconnected to the stem by a web portion 4I slidably received betweenthe spaced projections 33. On the stem 35 and between the shoulder 3Band the partition 29, is a coil compression spring @2. The head 4I) hasa curved under surface 43 and an inclined front surface S4 and is formedwith an edge 45a between said surfaces. It will be noted that there isno means on the casing 25 to retract the bolt.

Each keeper 22 comprises a member 50 fixed to portion I3 of the doorjamb II. Member 50 comprises a rear plate 53a contacting the door jamb,and a pair of forwardly projecting parallel walls 5I and a rear wall52,. Member 55 of the keeper has flanges 55e formed with openings 50d toreceive screws 58e for attaching said member to the door jamb. The rearwall 52 is formed with a slot 53, perpendicular to plate a, for thepurpose hereinafter appearing.

Slidably mounted between the walls 5I is a member having a rectangularwall 51 parallel to the wall 56a, and a pair of parallel forwardlyextending ears 58. Wall 51 is formed with a central screw threadedopening 59, and the ears 58 are formed with aligned openings 65. At theside of wall 51 which contacts the wall 52 of member 5S, is a screwthreaded opening 62. Loosely extending through the slot 53 is a screwscrewed within the screw threaded opening 62. Screw 65 has a head 6G atone end contacting the outer surface of wall 52. When screw 6.5,. is.

The casing 25 may be formed with Rotatably mounted on member 50 is anadjustl ber. After member 56 has been adjusted to proper position, thescrew 65 may again be tightened.

ing screw 10 having a stem 1I disposed within the bore 55h. Above thestem 1I is a wheel 13 formed with a plurality of spaced openings 15adapted to receive an instrument inserted therein to rotate the member10. Extending above the wheel 13 is a screw threaded portion 16 screwedwithin the threaded opening 59.

It will now be understood that when the screw 65 is loosened, and member10 is rotated, member 56 will be moved up or down depending upon thedirection of rotation of the adjusting mem- Within the openings S is atransverse pin traversing the space between thev ears 58. On the pin 58is a roller 82 rotatable about the axis of said pin. The edge 40u, ofthe head 40 of the bolt between the curved surface 43, and the inclinedsurface 43, contacts the roller 82 when the door is slammed shut,preferably at such a point that a plane passing through the edge 40a andthe axis of the pin 8i) makes an angle of between 40 and 50 degrees witha plane parallel to the door and passing through said edge 40a. Goodresults have been obtained when said angle is substantially 45 degrees.

It will now be understood that the, door is closed by a plurality ofspaced latches, and the door may be opened by pulling on the singlehandle l1 of any suitable type and placed wherever desired, independentof the location of the latches. Furthermore, the door may be opened by aforce applied from the inside. 'Ihe provision of plural points ofapplication of latches produces a better closure or seal, and preventssagging, warping or bulging of the door. The door may be opened from theinside Without necessity for a releasing handle. The adjustment of thekeeper or strike is a micrometer adjustment to accommodate varyingconditions.

The door will open in thev event of an explosion on the inside, andhencev the invention maybe embodied in explosion venting doors.

The handlev I8 is applied to the inside of the door for convenience,since a push against the door from the inside will open the door.

Because of the contact of the bol-t with the roller at a point on therollerI which makes an angle of between 40 andr 50 degrees with the axisof the roller relative to the plane of thek door, the door will easilyshut and yet will be eifec tively kept closed. It has been found that anangle of substantially 45 degrees. is most preferable for this purpose,although the angle may be changed by adjusting the keeper. The fact thatthe roller can rotate about its axis facilitates closing of thedoor.

The wedge shaped head of the bolt. co-acting with the roller givesefcient and effective seal-4 ing and yet permits the door to beeasilyfclosed.

The side walls of the casing 25 may be formed with openings 25d locatedback of the bolt to receive the hasp of a padlock 25e, to lock the latchagainst opening.

It will be noted that roller 82- serves as a cam to retract the boltwhen the doorI is slammed shut or forced open. l

Itwill be further notedA that with theA improved construction thekeepers may be on the door and the latches on the door jamb.

It will thus be seen that there is provided a device in which theseveral objects of this invention are achieved, and which is welladapted to meet the conditions of practical use.

As various possible embodiments might be made of the above invention,and as various changes might be made in the embodiment above set forth,it is to be understoodthat all matter herein set forth or shown in theaccompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in alimiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent:

1. A latch adapted to be attached to a door, and comprising a housingmember having an end wall adapted to be disposed adjacent the edge ofthe door, and a cavity open on the side of said member toward the door,and iianges adapted to contact the door provided with openings toreceive fastening means for attaching said member to the door, saidmember being formed with a transverse partition within said cavityparallel to said end wall and spaced therefrom and formed with anopening aligned with the opening in said end wall, said partition havingan end edge disposed within said cavity and spaced back from thesurfaces of said member which are adapted to contact the door, and aflat plate fitted Within said member to close the space between thepartition and the end wall and contacting the edge of said partition,means to attach said plate to said partition, a bolt slidably mountedwithin said member and having a portion projecting through the openingin the end wall, and a shank slidably received within the opening insaid partition, a spring interposed between said partition and anenlarged portion of the bolt, and disposed Within the space between thepartition and end wall, said bolt being formed with an opening, and saidplate being formed with a projection extending into said opening.

2. A latch comprising a casing member having an open side and beingformed with an end wall having an opening, and a transverse partitionparallel to and spaced from said end wall and formed with an openingaligned with the opening in said end wall, a closure member adapted toclose the chamber between said end wall and partition and attached tothe edge of said partition and tted within said casing member, a boltwithin said chamber having a head projecting through the opening in saidend wall, and a shank slidably received within the opening in saidpartition, a spring within said chamber interposed between saidpartition and head to project said bolt, said bolt being formed with anopening, and said closure member being formed with a projectionextending into the opening in the bolt to limit projection thereof.

DAVID KATZ.

